Double Trouble
by Shiary
Summary: Eos and Etro are two of the oldest Astrals in existence. Their jobs link them together tightly as do their love for humans. Unfortunately for said humans, Eos and Etro have the bad habit of making drunken bets. And everyone knows, drunken bets are never as funny the next morning.
1. Lucis and Caelums

Noctis reeled in his line, humming to himself as he considered the results of his day of fishing. Plenty of edible fishes to pick and choose from. He turned on his heels to shout to his companion, to ask their opinion on which to gut for supper.

And founds himself in the middle of a fiery battle.

A mother and her child ran past him as something big and _wrong _screeched in anger. A Marilith? What in the Six?

Noctis flung the questions into the dark corner of his mind for later. The Marilith raised its swords above its human head.. The targets: the mother and child that had just passed him. Noctis didn't hesitate.

He warped, one of Gladio's shields appearing in his hand, and blocked the blows before they could cause harm.

"Good one Noct!" A joyful, achingly familiar voice called out. A gunshot later and the night sky was filled with light.

"On my mark!" Another voice Noctis hadn't heard in much too long. His shield turned into a sword without conscious thought. Several daggers imbed themselves into the Marilith's weak points. Noctis followed the attacks with his own, using the magic in the daggers as anchor points.

The Marilith had no chance as Noctis cut down half of its arms in quick succession. "My turn!" A third, deeper voice roared from below Noctis. A large sword, familiar in the way that made Noctis want to cry, descended from above the Marilith. The blade cut deep and true.

With a final death cry, the Marilith disintegrated into black Scourge Mist.

Noctis landed easily, his body remembering old lessons even after so long. He turned towards the fleeing family, his priority for the moment. Noctis sighed in relief as he saw the mother and child, huddled together by a...black...royal….car.

"What the fu...crap is going on?" His exclamation caused the duo to flinch away from Noctis.

"Noctis?" Two sets of eyes turned to the trio of men approaching from the side. Ignis frowns, looks - actually looks!- between Noctis and the child half-hidden by the lady in front of him and sighed. "Well then, this is...unexpected."

Prompto looked like a garula caught in between two lights. HIs head shifted from one Noctis to the other. "Oh em gee! There are two Noct's! Noct and mini-Noct!" He tugged on Ignis' sleeve. "How is that possible? Noct died!" Prompto paused, frowned then added, "I'm pretty sure I died too."

To hear Prompto died caused Noctis to flinch. He'd known about his own fate but had hoped his friends would have survived to see the Dawn again. Gladio said, "Pretty sure you did too Prom." He jerked his head towards the road, where lights were fast approaching. "We can figure out what's going on later. We're about to have company and I don't know about you, but I'd rather make sure both Noctis' are safe before we do anything else."

Ignis and Prompto both nodded. Gladio stalked up to Noctis, hand reaching out to tug the 30 year old behind him and away from the approaching cars. Ignis turned to the 8 year old Noctis and his nanny, knelt down and said, "We swear we mean you no harm Prince Noctis." The small boy looked at Ignis for several seconds before stepping away from his nanny and nodding shyly. "Please stay behind us should a fight start. We will protect you." Another nod satisfied Ignis. He rose back to his feet and readied himself for whatever came next.

The cars barely had time to stop before a man jumped out of the front one. Noctis felt his breath catch in his chest. HIs eyes met the panicked ones in front of him. A happy scream confirmed what his eyes were seeing. "Daddy!" Tiny feet ran past Noctis to jump into Regis' open arms.

King Regis stood before them, looking several decades younger, his son safely in his arms. He stared at the four men before him, stared at the black haired man who looked vaguely familiar, and demanded. "Who are you?"

Noctis scratched the back of his head, turned to glance at his brothers, before he met his father's relentless gaze. "My name is Noctis Lucis Caelum, 114th King of Lucis." He bowed to his dad as one king did to another, the Royal Arms he'd gathered materialising around him as though called upon to prove his words.

The silence that followed was broken by a single cheerful childish voice who declared. "They saved me and from the big Snake-Lady!"

**Elsewhere**

Two ladies stared down at the luminous line between them. The red-haired one turned to her black-haired companion and asked, "What exactly did we bet upon Etro?"

Etro shrugged as she watched the Chosen King of Bahamut be escorted by one of her favorites into a car. His brothers slid beside him without a word. "I don't quite remember Eos."

Eos facepalmed, "This is going to be a mess…"

Etro grinned, eyes twinkling in sheer amusement. "Most certainly. But it will be a _fun_ mess."

A/N:

Bahamut's Prophecy is almost done. The last chapter is being beta-read and edited. The epilogue is planned out and being written piece by piece.

I'll be updating this whenever I need a break from other projects or get kicked by the muse.

Please leave a review if you enjoyed it!


	2. Tenebrae and Nox

The smell of sylleblossoms filled his nose, not unusual for these last decades of peaceful rest. Then the first rain drop started and that was more than a little unusual.

Ravus shot up. What was he doing lying down? Had he fallen asleep while reading? No, he hadn't.

The sky was filled with storm clouds. Ravus blinked and looked around. He was in the sylleblossom field behind his home except… The sky opened up, soaking Ravus as he stared at his home.

The Fenestala Manor was just as he remembered it from his childhood. And that was a problem, because the invasion by Niflheim had caused significant damage and forced the manor to be repaired. His home should show signs of the repairs.

But here it did not.

Ravus felt cold, colder than what the rain could account for. What was going on? This should be impossible. A puppy barked and a ball of white fluff bounded over to Ravus' feet.

"Pryna?" Ravus shivered as he dropped to a knee in front of the tiny fluffy messenger. Pryna barked again and nipped at Ravus' sleeve. "How is this possible?" Pryna tugged at him again. "I suppose I should follow you to… wherever you will be guiding me."

Pryna barked again and set off towards the manor. Ravus followed, arms wrapped around himself to warm up. Every step was like stepping back into the past, to a time when he had been genuinely happy. A child's voice called out as Ravus approached. "Pryna! Pryna! Where are you girl?"

Ravus jerked to a stop, his arms falling to his side. Luna! That was Luna's voice!

"Luna?" Ravus took a few step forward as Pryna ran up to the child standing by the door. His hand shakily reached towards his sister. His mind was confused as to what he was seeing. Another figure, taller and familiar, joined Luna. Ravus gasped.

The figure reacted swiftly and Ravus found himself with a sword less than an inch from his throat. Heterochromatic eyes met his own as the owner of the rapier demanded, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"It's quite alright, Ravus. Please lower your rapier." Another achingly familiar voice said softly.

"He is, like myself, a visitor from another time." Lunafreya, the one Ravus remembered spending years with after their death, walked past their younger selves to embrace her brother.

Ravus instinctively returned the hug though his gaze remained on the two children. "What? How is this possible?"

A third figure appeared in the doorway. "Luna. Ravus. Where have you g… Oh." His mother noticed them and smiled. "Welcome home Ravus. Now, let's get you out of this rain and into something warm, shall we?"

Stunned, confused, and wholly unsure of the reality before his eyes, Ravus allowed both Lunafreyas to take his hands and guide him inside. He tried to ask questions, only to have one of his sisters shake their head and tell him to wait a bit longer.

Ravus was brought to one of the guest suites and pushed into the bathroom to wash and change. A shower later, Ravus was dressed in his father's clothes while the man himself guided him to the private salon. His father, alive and by his mother's side!

He could not understand how that was possible. His father died while protecting Lunafreya from kidnappers before his 7th birthday! How could he be alive when the other Ravus was closer to 16?

There were so many questions churning in his mind that Ravus didn't know where to begin. Thankfully his Luna did.

"The date is May 17th 744." She said. The date made Ravus start in worry. She quickly handed him a newspaper. "It's alright. The attack on Noctis failed. See?" She tapped the headline.

**Hunters Save Royal Prince**. Ravus quickly read through the article before he allowed himself to relax. Noctis had not been injured. He would have no reason to come to Tenebrae.

Niflheim wouldn't use it as an excuse to attack Fenestala Manor. Would not kill his mother. They were safe.

For now at least.

"Why are we here then?" Ravus asked. "Haven't we done enough? Haven't you?" He glanced between his parents, the two versions of Luna, and the younger version of himself as he spoke. Ravus wasn't sure what Luna had already told them.

Sylva smiled as she placed her cup back on the saucer. "The Astrals do not know why you are here. Only that you are not the only ones sent to this time."

"Fu… shit." Ravus changed what he was going to say as he saw the glare his father sent his way. "Noctis and his companions no doubt. The question appears to be how many and why?"

Not that it would matter. Ravus would not allow what had happened to happen again. His family would live happily even if it cost him his… A hand whacked the back of his head lightly.

"That is enough of that, son." Said Aureus Nox Fleuret. "Lunafreya has told us much of what happened. Including your self-sacrificing nature. That will stop now." He turned and gave a kiss to his wife before grabbing Ravus by the arm, and with surprising strength, dragged him out of the room. "Come on. I have 20 years worth of fathering to do. Ravus, come with us too. Good night ladies."

Ravus watched his younger self bow towards their sisters and mother before following. By the Six, Ravus didn't know if he was happy or afraid.

Eos sighed as she found Etro in the Beyond. "Well? Did you find out how many were sent back?"

Etro hummed, a quivering soul in her hand. "Kinda. I'm missing all the souls tied to that idiot's prophecy plus a dozen or so others."

Eos stared at her sister. "Astrals damn it! Just what did we do last night? I've got several new chosens that don't even have my blessing and who won't answer my calls!" She stopped her rant as another presence approached them.

Etro twisted her hand to look at the soup even as she called out. "What do you want with us, Gentiana?"

The Messenger came into view, bowing to them both before speaking. "I bring a message from the Bladekeeper. He is most displeased by your actions and asks that you return those you have sent to whence they came."

Etro rolled her eyes. "What else is new? He's never happy with anything unless he does it himself."

Eos agreed with Etro. Bahamut was a right ass at the best of times. "What did he say exactly?"

Gentiana stilled. "I have given you his message, Dawn of Life."

Eos gave her sister a quick grin before she faced Gentiana fully. "Ah but a message interpreted may be inexact. I wish to hear Bahamut's words as he himself spoke them. Now, Gentiana."

There was a moment of hesitation followed by an awkward shift. Only then did the Messenger repeat what she had been told. "What have those Old Hags done now? Go tell them to fucking fix it before I do it for them!"

Both Goddesses burst out laughing.

A/N:

Happy Easter to those who celebrate!

On another note, I have a question for all of my readers. I have a list of characters that will be part of the story but I would like to know whether you'd like for Loqi, Aranea, Aldercapt, or anyone else to be part of those characters.

Please comment and let me know if you have any requests!


	3. Niflheim and Highwind

Aranea whistled cheerfully to herself as she cleaned her lance. Biggs and Wedge argued in the cockpit of her thrice rebuilt airship. Maybe it was time to actually name the old girl.

Aranea dismissed her lance and turned around to shout at her boys. She staggered, dropping her gaze to the ground as she steadied herself. With a grumble at random earthquakes, she straightened.

"Ifrit's ballsack! Biggs? Wedge? Where are you?" Aranea spun around, bringing her lance out as she found herself in a _Six-Damned MT factory_.

She didn't like this one bit. Was it one of Ardyn's prank?

She doubted it. The cleansed man had better taste, and a decent amount of self-preservation, than to do something this stupid.

Though… It could be that idiot brother of his. Aranea took a glance at the map on the wall and set off towards the nearest exit. Somnus might have been the Founder King but he definitely hadn't been so because of his sense of humor, fashion or his wisdom.

Whoever was behind this was getting a taste of her lance. One of the door hissed open to her right.

"The fu…" Both Aranea's started to say as they stared at each other.

"Is there a problem Highwind?" A harsh, distantly familiar voice asked from behind the younger version of herself.

The young Aranea glanced behind her, biting her lower lip for a moment. It was enough for Aranea to spot a couple of ventilation pipes. She jumped and swung herself out of sight just in time. "Nope." Her younger self stepped out of the way and allowed Lieutenant Ulldor to brush past her.

"I hope this is not an indication of your performance Highwind. The Empire doesn't not hire failures." Ulldor walked away without looking back. "Return to your airship. You will shortly receive your orders."

Aranea waited until Ulldor had been gone for several minutes before dropping back down. She glanced over her younger self and tried to figure out what the hell was going on.

Her younger self did the same though she appeared less confused and more thoughtful. "So Loqi ain't the only one with some kind of time double…" she grabbed Aranea's hand and pulled her towards the hanger bay. "I'll explain at the ship. It's not safe to talk her."

Aranea allowed herself to be pulled along. Whatever was going on, it seemed she knew a bit about it.

Loqi… If it was the same guy Aranea knew then this was one hell of a shit show.

They got to the airship without any trouble, the MTs leaving them alone as they patrolled. Her younger self banged on the door and said, "Got another one! You won't believe who!"

Aranea certainly didn't. "Biggs! Wedge!" Her Biggs and Wedge. Older with wrinkles and all the right scars at the right place. Her boys wasted no time greeting her the proper way. With back breaking hugs that made her huff in mock annoyance.

Loqi, looking almost exactly as she remembered seeing him at their last get together, leaned casually against the hanger door. "So you got chucked here too eh Highwind?"

Aranea raised a brow, "And where is here exactly?" She thought about it for a moment then added, "When are we? And why are you with mini-me?" She dutifully dodged the retaliatory jab her younger self aimed her way.

Biggs shared a look with Wedge. That did not bode well. "I'm not going to like this am I…" She sighed.

"No, you're not." Loqi jerked his head towards the inside of the ship. The younger trio were already making their way in. Aranea followed without hesitation. The more she knew, the better prepared she would be for whatever was coming.

Still she had hoped for better news. "There are 2 Aldercapt running around?"

* * *

Etro winced at the sight of two, rather naked, Iedolus Aldercapt's staring at each other. A scientist was buzzing around them, taking notes and readings.

Eos looked over her sister's shoulder and winced. "Well.. that's a nightmarish sight. Want to drink until we forget about it?" She created a bottle of whiskey and a few glasses.

"That's how we got into this mess remember?" Etro said, turning away from the nightmare of a sight. "But what the hell. Anything is better than that." She grabbed a glass and chugged it down as Eos laughed and copied her.

* * *

A/N: I need help for two things!

1) I need nicknames for the characters. Always using young and older is going to get... old fast. Please suggest nicknames for characters including those that arent in the fic so far but who 'might' appear later.

2) I would like to add art to my 'King of Fire' story. Is there anyone who would be interested in helping me out? I'd return the favor with writing anything the artist would like me to write (within my comfort zone/reason). Please let me know if you are interested!

Thank you!


	4. Lucis and Glaives

Nyx watched Selena jump into the ocean from the clift with a gleeful shout. His parents were already in the water with Libertus', Crowe's, and other glaives' parents. Crowe was gleefully teasing Libertus and Pelna while a water fight went on among the glaives.

"Nyx! Hurry up and jump in!" Selena called out. Nyx waved at her, backed up a few steps and ran to flung himself into the air. He flipped through the air several times, laughing, and landed…. on an Scourge tainted behemoth in the middle of a battlefield.

Disoriented, he tumbled off as the beast reared, landing roughly on the muddy ground. There were countless flickers of blue light through the air. A figure landed beside Nyx, a familiar looking shield appearing just in time to keep the behemoth from trampling him.

"Nyx! What the fuck are you doing?" Libertus screamed through the cacophony of sounds.

Nyx stared at Libertus. Libertus stared back. The world felt unreal as Nyx stared at a much younger, scar free face.

What.

The.

Fuck.

"Nyx!" Libertus grabbed his arm and shook him hard. "Are you hurt?" A hint of panic was starting to creep into his brother's voice. It was enough to draw him out of his shock.

Think later. Survive now.

Nyx poked at the spot were King Regis' magic once laid, waiting for his call. He expected to find it empty, as it had been since his death. It wasn't.

Nyx didn't ask questions. He grabbed at the magic, grabbed unto Libertus, and warped away from the horde of infected beasts and soldiers. His landing was awful, years of disuse making themselves known.

Nyx tried to control his breathing as he looked around the battlefield. He recognized the place. Recognize the fight. Recognized several glaives that died years after it had happened.

His mind was a mess of thoughts, feelings and confusion. Nyx squashed them away for later. First things first. Save as many glaives as he could. Kill as many beasts and soldiers as he could.

Don't let Niflheim win.

His magic answered his summon. Magic he had only wielded once just before his death. Blue shades, towering even above the behemoths, appeared around the battlefield. Weapons wielded by Kings and Queens cut through Niflheim's army like a hot knife through butter.

"Nyx?" Two almost identical voices called out from either side of him. Two Libertus, one young, the other scarred, stood watching him with worry and confusion.

One by one, glaives both young and old, gathered around Nyx as he wielded the Old Kings power to destroy everything Niflheim had sent. Airships, daemons, beasts and MT soldiers. None of them stood a chance before the Regents of Yore wielded by the Hero of Lucis, Nyx Ulric.

As the shades finally started fading, leaving only Lucians still standing on the battlefield, Nyx dropped to his knees. His vision was fading as exhaustion filled his very veins. Maybe he'd overdone it.

Familiar hands followed by familiar voices surrounded him, some echoed twice by concerned friends. Nyx closed his eyes and hoped he'd be back with his family soon.

* * *

Drautos tightened his grip on the hilt of the training dagger. The sudden arrival of older doubles of Noctis, Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto had been a shock to everyone, regardless of how fortunate their timing had been. Learning, a day later, that the Nox Fleurets had also found themselves with twins of their children had opened the possibility of more sudden guests.

He'd just received the report on such new guests from his glaives and now…. Now Drautos was looking at an older version of himself that had just walked into the middle of a training exercise.

He would have been amused by the gasps and pointed fingers except for one single detail.

His older self was holding his brother hostage. An older, more worn out version of Cor but it was unmistakably Cor nonetheless. A Cor that was _bleeding_ right in front of his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Drautos hissed between gritted teeth.

The older him raised a brow at that. "There seems no point in continuing this worthless charade now that this…. time shift has occurred. The Immortal will make an excellent offering to the Emperor, along with the information of the future we now hold."

Drautos saw red. What in Ifrit's name was this older version saying? Go to Niflheim? Betray Regis? HIs friends, his family, and all the glaives that counted on him? What had happened to make him betray them all?

"Come on. We will need to hurry before Ulric shows up and makes a mess of our plans." The older Drautos pressed Cor's katana deeper into the soft skin of his neck.

Drautos forced himself to relax. He ignored the whispers from the new trainees as he dropped the training dagger. He could work with this. Without glancing back, Drautos walked over to the betrayer. "Ulric huh? He certainly is reckless and foolish enough to cause trouble."

Almost there.

Drautos met this older Cor's gaze squarely, his heart breaking at the hatred he saw there. There would be much to talk about once things were only hoped he could fix the trust so obviously broken.

"I'll take care of Cor." Drautos reached over, grabbed Cor's arm with one hand and extended his other to receive the katana. The betrayer didn't hesitate, handing over the sword to Drautos without a word.

The tension drained out of Drautos the moment he held the sword. "Glaives! Take him down!" The order came moments after Drautos shoved Cor out of the betrayer's reach.

It was odd to see shock and anger on a face so similar to his but Drautos didn't allow it to stop him. Cor's katana sliced through the air towards an exposed leg.

It was stopped by black, glistening material that suddenly surrounded the betrayer's body.

Drautos stared in horror as Glauca retaliated. He barely managed to dart out of the way as Glauca's daemon infused greatsword tried to take his head off. His trainees finally reacted, warping to attack the Niflheim general.

Drautos glanced back to the older Cor, eyes narrowing as the marshall struggled to get back on his feet with his hands still tied behind his back. "Ashe! Nova! Get Cor to the docs! Now!"

"What? N…" Older Cor started saying only to start coughing violently. Drautos heart stopped at the blood dripping from his mouth. Not good. He needed to deal with Glauca now because it was the only way to ensure everyone's safety.

His trainees were doing a damn good job so far but Glauca was too strong to be taken down by them. Drautos would have to do it.

He gripped Cor's katana carefully and waited for the perfect moment to strike. It came as Glauca threw one of his trainees into the wall. Drautos threw the katana upwards. Warped to it.

The fine blade sheared through Glauca's armor like a hot knife in butter, its edge enhanced by Drautos' magic. Glauca stumbled as both of his forearms dropped to the ground, still holding the greatsword. Not taking any risks, Drautos reversed the direction of his swing, summoned lightning and pinned Glauca's leg to the floor.

Hearing his own voice screaming in agony would haunt his nightmares for a while. As would the knowledge that somehow, in a different timeline, Drautos had betrayed everything he held dear.

* * *

"Gentiana! Come…. Come join us!" Eos stumbled over to the messenger, a bottle of Altissian whisky in one hand and a glass of red wine in the other. "We… We're drinking to… umm… Why are we drinking again Etro?"

Etro giggled as she waved a bottle of Fire Rum in the air. "Don't know! Can't remember…. Something about being naked?"

Eos shrugged and threw an arm around the messenger. "Right…. Oh! Was it because of that 'Top ten sexiest Lucis Caelum' list?"

Gentianna sighed as she listened to the two oldest goddesses discuss which monarch was sexiest. What was that saying humankind had?

If you can't beat them, join them?

* * *

A/N: So just to make sure everyone is clear on this. Older!Gen are from canon timeline. The timeline where the Older!Gen land in? A completely different timeline with significant differences in events. I put in a few of those differences in but others will pop up as the plot starts going. This is the last "intro" chapter so the next one should have plot in it.


	5. Leonis and Caelum

A/N: Im going to be trying out nicknames to see which ones stick. This should, hopefully, help differentiate which version of the characters is involved. Let me know what you think please!

* * *

The Marshall woke up abruptly, confused and fighting against something heavy draped over him. Indistinct voices surrounded him, some shouting and others speaking much more softly. He had to get up! He had to find Noc…. "Cor. You are safe and in the Citadel. Do stop fighting the meds and rest some more."

That voice, terribly familiar in an impossible way, kicked a long forgotten instinct into action. His body relaxed, his mind trusting the speaker without hesitation and he drifted back into sleep once more.

When he woke up the second time, it was in a better frame of mind and in a lot less pain. Cor blinked several times, chasing the last remaining fragments of drugged sleep out while reviewing the seemingly impossible circumstances that had led him here. The Marshall turned his head slowly and stared at the person sitting by his bedside, a cup of tea in one deceptively delicate hand and an overly familiar book in the other.

Aulea smiled at him. "Good afternoon, Cor. How are you feeling?"

Cor shot up, eyes staying on the dead woman as he reached out to poke her hesitantly. Aulea laughed, the sound so familiar and warm that it filled the old Marshall with mostly-forgotten relief, as his finger dug into her ribs without making her disappear. He gaped. "How?"

Aulea shook her head fondly, taking a moment to bookmark her book and serve a second cup of tea which she handed to Cor gently, before she answered. "How what, Cor?" She raised a brow.

Cor automatically took a sip of the tea, his mind whirling in an attempt to understand what he was seeing. Slowly it came back to him. He had been walking through the forest, heading to visit Gilgamesh when he'd suddenly found himself stepping on tile. Around him had been the familiar corridors of the Crownsguard office.

And before he could figure out what was going on, Drautos had attacked him.

Cor's body tensed as he remembered being walked into a training ground, half unconscious from pain and whatever drugs the traitorous Captain had injected him with. He frowned, eyes flickering to Aulea for a moment. She was still smiling, waiting patiently for Cor to speak.

The cup of tea grounded him, proving with its taste and warmth it was real.

That he wasn't hallucinating again.

That Aulea sat beside him despite being dead.

"How are you still alive, Aulea? And why do I remember seeing two of Drautos, fighting each other?" Cor finally asked.

Aulea nodded approvingly, refilled both of their cups with the steaming teapot, and explained.

By the end, Cor was leaning back against his pillows, eyes closed as he tried to make sense of things. Somehow, in some unknown way, Cor and several others had been brought to this world. This different version of Eos, in which Titus Drautos and Cor had grown up as brothers. In which that Cor had adopted Prompto after saving him from Niflheim.

In which Aulea had survived the assassination attempt that had led to Noctis' premature birth and her own death. And Regis' retinue were still very much together, unbroken by a non-existent defeat in Accordo.

"I am aware that this is a lot to process, so I will leave it at that for now." Aulea rearranged the blankets over Cor with gentle hands. She rose, taking the cups and teapot as she did. "Get some more rest if you can. The doctors said you should be able to get up tomorrow at the latest." And with that, she swept out of the room; leaving Cor with a lot to think about.

* * *

Aulea hummed as she made her way into her favorite garden. It was filled with all kinds of flowers and trees, from every part of Lucis, and she took her time checking on them bit by bit. By the time she arrived at the manicured pond that stood at the edge of the garden, her hands were dirty and so was her dress.

Regis beamed as soon as he saw her approaching. "You look ravishing."

Aulea chuckled as she dropped on his lap, pushing away the stacks of paperwork until she was comfortable. "Even covered in mud?" She leaned forward to kiss her husband as he nodded. After a few languid kisses, Aulea straightened and looked around. "Where is Noct?"

Regis smiled and jerked his head towards the fishing bench placed by the pond. A tackle box laid beside it with two fishing rods leaning against the bench. "Our sons are sleeping." He smiled fondly. "Noctis was showing Noct how to choose the proper bait for each fish until it turned into a nap."

Aulea smiled, dropped another kiss on her husband's nose before rising to take a look. Noctis, their newly acquired 30 year old son, was sprawled on the bench, one arm dangling from the side while the other curled protectively around Noct, their 8 year old boy. Aulea watched for a while, simply enjoying the sight of their beloved boys together, before she made her way back to Regis.

"How is Old Cor?" Regis asked softly, placing on paper on a stack and taking another. Aulea grabbed her own paper, ignoring the streak of dirt that would make Weskham sigh when he saw it, and told him about her visit.

Regis hummed and nodded as they worked, practice allowing him to read through the near-endless amount of paperwork while holding a conversation. Clarus and Gladiolus joined them after a while; Clarus sitting next to Regis and Gladio parking himself next to a curled up Noctis. It took little time before Ignis and Prompto also joined them along with Weskham, Cor and Drautos.

"Ummm… Hey Igs, did you get anything from Glauca?" Noctis yawned as he woke from his nap, shifting Noct in his arm before making his way to the gazebo where they were all gathered. Aulea motioned for Noctis to hand the young boy over to her and he did so with a smile.

Ignis nodded to Noctis as he sat down. "We were able to get a few things from Glauca, though I am unsure how useful it will be considering the vast differences between our timeline and this one."

Drautos looked uncomfortable. "Most of what we learned will be of little use to us unless Niflheim somehow gains the help of His Former Majesty, but that is unlikely." He shot a glance at Regis, who nodded with a bemused smile.

Cor added, "We did get a few locations that may be worth checking out, if only to ensure the Magitek Factories don't exist." He strummed his fingers against the table, half lost in thought.

Regis nodded again, looking over at Clarus. "Something to plan out then." A staff member approached in a hurry, giving a short bow to everyone before giving Regis a paper. The King read it, shook his head and handed it over to Aulea. Noctis raised a brow, wordlessly asking what everyone was thinking.

Regis smiled, reaching out to pat Noctis' hand reassuringly. "It's nothing for you to worry about. Just confirmation from my uncles about their arrival in Tenebrae."

Noctis straightened. "Your uncles are in Tenebrae?"

Regis smirked, eyes twinkling with delight. "Indeed they are. And I expect them to be bringing your Lunafreya back when they return. It shouldn't be more than a couple of weeks before they do."

Noctis shared confused glances with his friends. They kept hearing about these uncles, often referred to as 'Former Majesties" by texts and staff but had yet to meet them. Apparently such a meeting would soon occur. Noctis felt a shiver run down his spine. He wasn't completely certain he wanted to meet them.

* * *

Eos encouraged Gentiana to finish the bottle of beer in one go while Etro stumbled around, stubbornly looking for something.

"**Ah ha!**" Etro exclaimed, suddenly materializing beside her sister. She triumphantly waved a slim black book in the air. "**I knew it was here somewhere!**"

Eos belched loudly, dipping backwards in an attempt to read the title. The letters were odd and unfocused. She frowned then flipped onto her stomach. Ah, much better. "**Isn't that -hic- isn't that Fate's Book of History?**"

Etro nodded, already flipping through the pages of the never ending book. Gentiana draped herself over Etro, chin tucked against the goddess' neck. "_**Wait.**_" She reached out, missed the book and tried again. Her fingers brushed the pages, allowing frost to form unevenly over it as Gentiana tried to find the page she had noticed. "_**Your names are here…**_"

Etro brought the book closer to her face, eyes narrowing as she tried to read what it said. Once she had, Etro straightened, nodded to herself and kept flicking through the pages. "_**So that's what we bet. I still say my Chosens will win.**_"

Eos snatched the book from Etro's hand, hissing at her. It took her a moment to find the page Etro had been reading, and she had to flip the book around a few times before managing to find what was the correct way to read it. With a pout, Eos threw the book at Etro, who dodged and allowed it to smack Gentiana into unconsciousness. "**No they won't. My Chosens know more than yours do!**"

A snore interrupted the fight before it could even begin. Both goddesses turned towards Gentiana, drunkenly sprawled on the void and half curled around the book. Ice started to form around her as her shape shifted from the Messenger to Shiva and back with every breath.

Etro glanced at Eos. "**Are you thinking what I'm thinking?**"

Eos snorted. "**Probably not.**" She rose unsteadily to stand beside Etro, both staring with widening grins at Shiva. "**But let's do it anyway.**"

* * *

A/N: And here are a few hints on the Bet made between Eos and Etro. Can you guess what it was? And who are Regis' uncles?


	6. Lucis and Fleuret

One Lunafreya Nox Fleuret stared at the man sitting in front of her. Her hands were almost white at the knuckles as she held her tea cup with poise.

One Ardyn Lucis Caelum smiled politely back, raising the cup of tea to his lips.

They were not alone in the salon but Lunafreya had eyes only for this strange version of her murderer. It was strange to see a genuine smile on his lips though she supposed the..._ghost_? by his side helped explained it.

Lunafreya took a deep breath, raised her own tea to her lips and finally asked the question that had been filling her head since their guests arrival. "Your Majesty?"

"Oh please call me Ardyn." Ardyn gave her a brilliant smile. "I insist. We are practically family after all!"

The ghostly form beside him rolled her eyes. "You always say that but I do think that after a few hundred generations it becomes untrue."

Ardyn laughed, turning adoring eyes towards his companion. "Now now dear Aera, have you forgotten the countless marriages between our descendants since then?"

Aera rolled her eyes again. "Ah yes. The countless marriages." She leaned forward, looking towards the man sitting on the other side of Ardyn. "Somnus, dear, could you remind your brother of how many of these so called marriages have actually happened?"

The man Lunafreya had been so keen to ignore -why did he look so much like Noctis?- stopped his conversation with Sylva Nox Fleuret with a sigh. "Again? Really Ardyn, you must stop saying this every time you meet a new Nox Fleuret."

Ardyn pouted even as Aera reached _through_ Ardyn in order to give Somnus a high five. Lunafreya was so glad she hadn't been taking a sip. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Ravus coughing harshly into his mechanical arm, a spilt cup on the table in front of him.

Regaining her composure, Lunafreya crossed her hands together on her lap. "My apologies, how should I address you all?"

Aera floated over to sit beside Lunafreya, a hand -surprisingly warm- came to rest across her own. "You may call me Aera or Grandmother. Which ever is comfortable for you. As for those loveable fools," Aera smiled at Somnus and Ardyn. "You may call them Former Majesty, or by their name." She patted Lunafreya gently. "Now, I am certain you have many questions so let me give you a brief explanation of the founding of Lucis."

"Hey! Aera… I wanted to do that." Ardyn slipped down on the couch, still pouting.

Aera laughed, "If I allowed you to do so we would still be here by the time the sun rose tomorrow."

Lunafreya leaned back, catching the incredulous look in Ravus' eyes. One she was certain was in hers as well. "Leave them at it." Somnus said with another sigh. "They are always like that." Lunafreya gave the Founder King a hesitant smile as she turned to face him.

Somnus told them about events that had happened a few thousand years ago. How Ardyn had spent years healing their people of the Scourge as directed by the Astrals. How Somnus had heard of the blackness that had started to creep in his brother, painting him a monster even as the Scourge spread faster and wider than any one man could hope to contain.

When the rumors of Ardyn killing someone reached his ears, Somnus had known he needed to do something.

And so he'd sought out Aera, told her about his worries and asking for counsel. The Oracle had been shocked to hear that Ardyn's healing appeared to have such an effect on the kind and honorable man. She'd been further shocked when her prayers to the Astrals was answered with a firm, and final, order to allow Ardyn to continue on his journey regardless of the cost to his being.

An order Aera defied as she dragged Somnus and Gilgamesh to find her fiance before it was too late.

Aera rolled her eyes, "As if I would have left Ardyn to suffer like that." Lunafreya stared at her ancestor. The First Oracle shrugged when she realized it and said, "The Astrals were being pricks. As Oracle, my job may have been to listen to them and act as their voice on Eos but it didn't mean I was going to follow them blindly."

Ardyn reached across for Aera's glowing hand, raising it to his lips for a tender kiss. "And I am ever so grateful for your stubborn independence."

Somnus cleared his throat, giving both Immortals a look for having interrupted his story. Ardyn chuckled and settled back in the couch, motioning for Somnus to continue with a lazy wave. After a moment, the Founder King did just that.

Once they had found Ardyn, and convinced him that they were there to help him despite what the Astrals had planned; they made their way through the old ruins of Solheim in hopes of finding a way to deal with the Scourge without causing Ardyn's death. It had taken them a year of traveling, studying, and forging the beginning of the Lucis Kingdom before they found an answer worth considering.

"And so here we are." Somnus finished, "Four Immortals bound to the Crystal and the Scourge it now contains."

Ravus whispered hoarsely, "You mean to say the Crystal houses the Scourge?" Had that been an option? Could it have… His thoughts were interrupted by Lunafreya.

"So both of you," She indicated Ardyn and Somnus with a tilt of her head. " act as conduite and barrier?" Ardyn nodded. She turned to Aera. "And you?"

Aera shrugged, "The Astrals weren't very happy with me so I can't access the Beyond until Ardyn does." She grinned, eyes shining with glee. "Like I would have it any other way! Where Ardyn goes I go until we are taken by Etros' embrace." She floated back to sit on Ardyn's lap, a loving smile making her feelings known without a doubt.

Lunafreya turned the last of their guests, the masked giant who had said nothing since their arrival. "And yourself?" She prompted, hoping for an answer.

"A Shield cannot die before their King unless it is in the protection of said King." Gilgamesh Amicitia said with a shrug. "So I'm stuck here until these idiots die." The First Shield weathered Somnus' punch stoically.

Lunafreya shared a surprised look with her brother. This world was vastly different from their own, much more than she had expected!

Ravus carefully put down his cup, straightened and asked, "So what do we do now?"

Ardyn grinned, "Now, we bring you two back to Insomnia and see whether having all of you at one place does anything."

Lunafreya pressed her lips together firmly. This would be quite the interesting trip.

* * *

Etro watched as some of her chosen met with Eos'. A pounding headache was her ill-gotten reward from the last drinking contest she'd with her sister. Eos had returned to her side of the Beyond to do something, she had no idea what exactly but Etro knew she'd find out soon.

As for Gentiana…. The human form of Shiva had been nowhere to be found when they had woken up.

A small white fox jumped on her lap, tilting its head sideways in a quiet question. Etro sighed, "**Yes, I am aware that Bahamut is angry. And no I do not care.**" A chirp had her rolling her eyes. "**He can get off his ass and come here if he wants to talk to me.**"

Etro lowered her eyes to Carbuncle and winced. How did the minor astral manage to say so much without actually speaking? Eos and her were still trying to figure it out. "**Don't give me that look.**" Etro looked away pouting. "**I'm not the… Ow!**"

A thin scratch now marred her skin and Carbuncle still had their claws out and paw up. "**Ugh! Fine! Go and tell that boy of yours what's going on!**" Carbuncle chirped merrily and bounced away without looking back, leaving Etro alone once more.

The Astral of Death buried her head in her hands with a muffled scream. She really needed to stop drinking.


End file.
